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Contemporary Duo #2
Smooth Talkin' Stranger
Still grieving over the loss of her husband, a lonely Serena Hamilton becomes involved in a one-night stand with a sexy stranger she meets in a bar, unaware that her one-time lover is Hunter Fletcher, a covert CIA operative whose own past intersects with the tragedy in her life. Original.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Lorraine Heath
90 books4,376 followersAlso writes Young Adult under Rachel Hawthorne, Jade Parker, and with her son as J.A. London.
Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."
She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero, (the Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She began her career writing training manuals and computer code for the IRS, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since.
Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA®. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA TODAY and the New York Times.
The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers.
Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult novels with her son under the name J. A. London.
Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."
She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero, (the Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She began her career writing training manuals and computer code for the IRS, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since.
Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA®. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA TODAY and the New York Times.
The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers.
Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult novels with her son under the name J. A. London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 9, 2021
A nice enough read. I preferred the first in the series more! Now, what to read next?
October 31, 2017
Serena Hamilton was the close friend and neighbor of Jack Morgan in Hard Lovin' Man. Her husband Steve and Jack served in the army together. Jack returned to Hopeful, Texas but Steve was killed overseas. Over the years, Serena thought something might develop with Jack but he only cared for her platonically. When he finally married and her mother passed away from cancer within a span of six months, Serena did the unthinkable. She had a one-night stand.
I felt the plot was something I read before. Special Ops soldier now working for the CIA intensely attracted to young mother. I actually liked Hunter better than Serena in this story. He was socially stunted and his character was quirky. The more he revealed, the more you understood why he said and acted the way he did. Serena? Meh.
I felt the plot was something I read before. Special Ops soldier now working for the CIA intensely attracted to young mother. I actually liked Hunter better than Serena in this story. He was socially stunted and his character was quirky. The more he revealed, the more you understood why he said and acted the way he did. Serena? Meh.
October 6, 2011
I wrote a long review and Goodreads ate it. I'm not in the mood to re-write it.
I enjoyed the book and felt the character development and emotional development was quite good. The prose slipped into the melodramatic occasionally, and the set-up at the end was a little contrived, but I forgave it all. The book made me sigh, and I'll definitely read it again.
I enjoyed the book and felt the character development and emotional development was quite good. The prose slipped into the melodramatic occasionally, and the set-up at the end was a little contrived, but I forgave it all. The book made me sigh, and I'll definitely read it again.
October 17, 2010
Not exactly a war-setting but war is a plot element. Fun fast book that has some real heart-wrenching aspects -- the heroine meets and sleeps with a devastatingly gorgeous stranger, and that's the first chapter. What happens between them is sweet and serious. The other characters in the book really add to the story (her widower dad, her best friend (the guy next door), her son.
January 30, 2017
I feel like I might have read this one back in the day but I didn't remember it much and it could have just been a similar book. This one was just okay. There was nothing new or surprising about this read and I could have told you what was going to happen in almost every instance. Very predictable and it didn't even have any of that angst that this author is so good at.
March 21, 2018
5 stars – Contemporary Romance
February 15, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
“Mereu am luptat pentru țara mea, dar niciodată nu a fost ceva personal. Aș vrea să mă poți ierta pentru tot ce am greșit. Dacă aș putea da timpul înapoi, aș încasa eu acel glonț pentru el.”
Brânză bună în burduf de câine, cam asta ar fi prima mea impresie. Să construiești un personaj spectaculos și să-ți bagi apoi ceva-n el, ei bine, mi se pare nașpa. Dac-am zis despre Jack că-i numa bun de luat acasă ( vezi Un bărbat îndrăgostit) nici cu Hunter nu mi-i rușine.
În volumul acesta la loc de cinste sunt puse dedicarea, loialitatea, integritatea, dăruirea și sinceritatea. Hunter cunoaște bine parametrii după care poate obține maximul din situația în care se află și este total onest în acest sens. Este deschis, asumat și nimeni nu are de suferit. N-are cum să nu impresioneze.
Asta până nu apare demoazela Serena și își dă ochii peste cap. Nu mi-a plăcut de ea în cealaltă carte, mi-a displăcut total aici.
Deși în strânsă legătură cu prima parte, Jack apare rarisim și este un mare minus. Singura constantă este prietenia celor doi băieți și aceasta menține tonul de speranță, frumos și nevinovăție.
Este tipul de poveste din care nu s-a scos nici jumate din potențial și asta mi s-a părut cel mai supărător.
“Mereu am luptat pentru țara mea, dar niciodată nu a fost ceva personal. Aș vrea să mă poți ierta pentru tot ce am greșit. Dacă aș putea da timpul înapoi, aș încasa eu acel glonț pentru el.”
Brânză bună în burduf de câine, cam asta ar fi prima mea impresie. Să construiești un personaj spectaculos și să-ți bagi apoi ceva-n el, ei bine, mi se pare nașpa. Dac-am zis despre Jack că-i numa bun de luat acasă ( vezi Un bărbat îndrăgostit) nici cu Hunter nu mi-i rușine.
În volumul acesta la loc de cinste sunt puse dedicarea, loialitatea, integritatea, dăruirea și sinceritatea. Hunter cunoaște bine parametrii după care poate obține maximul din situația în care se află și este total onest în acest sens. Este deschis, asumat și nimeni nu are de suferit. N-are cum să nu impresioneze.
Asta până nu apare demoazela Serena și își dă ochii peste cap. Nu mi-a plăcut de ea în cealaltă carte, mi-a displăcut total aici.
Deși în strânsă legătură cu prima parte, Jack apare rarisim și este un mare minus. Singura constantă este prietenia celor doi băieți și aceasta menține tonul de speranță, frumos și nevinovăție.
Este tipul de poveste din care nu s-a scos nici jumate din potențial și asta mi s-a părut cel mai supărător.
April 10, 2021
I'm happy to ready anything Heath writes, but this was her first non-historical I've seen. As usual, she hooked me immediately, and not surprisingly she doesn't follow all the expected story conventions for romance, though she keeps to most of the things readers love about this genre. She has a beautiful balance between Serena and Hunter's passion and them getting to know each other well enough to fall in love. The end is both predictable and surprising, another indication of Heath's never-failing imagination.
September 8, 2020
A True Love Story
Serena is a lucky woman finding a guy like Hunter. He is every woman’s fantasy. That’s what this hot love story is-a fantasy!
The hero is awesome handsome brave masculine and hot! He is caring loving very generous and protective. I could continue to extol Hunter’s virtues but he’s got a few flaws as well.
Find those out when reading this wonderful story by Lorraine Heath, a fantastic writer!
Serena is a lucky woman finding a guy like Hunter. He is every woman’s fantasy. That’s what this hot love story is-a fantasy!
The hero is awesome handsome brave masculine and hot! He is caring loving very generous and protective. I could continue to extol Hunter’s virtues but he’s got a few flaws as well.
Find those out when reading this wonderful story by Lorraine Heath, a fantastic writer!
December 2, 2020
What a Fabulous Book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book Smooth Talking' Stranger.
I have read many of Lorraine Heath's historical novels so this was a fun change of pace. The story line was interesting with the CIA tie in. What a wonderful love story of hope and forgiveness.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book Smooth Talking' Stranger.
I have read many of Lorraine Heath's historical novels so this was a fun change of pace. The story line was interesting with the CIA tie in. What a wonderful love story of hope and forgiveness.
September 20, 2017
4.5 stars. Well written - I loved this story!
August 31, 2020
Would have rated it a bit higher, but the heroine got on my nerves.
November 20, 2024
I binged on a flight and was in it big time. This is a good one.
August 27, 2025
Wanted to read some of Lorraine’s older work, didn’t realize this was a the second book in a duo. I’ll just stick to her historical which I love. This was not for me, a bit predictable and boring.
April 12, 2025
A solid romance that gave me all the feels!
June 12, 2019
Serena Hamilton’s losses have brought her to a new low. Her husband died 6 years ago and after a long, brave fight, her mother passed away two weeks ago. She and Riker, her 9-year-old son, have come to her parents’ near-Austin home to help her father sort through her mother’s things.
Deep in the throes of loneliness, Serena visits a bar and meets a handsome stranger. After a night of torrid sex, Serena goes home to her son and father. Serena is not a one-night-stand kind of person; she feels guilty, but she also feels fascinated by the man she met.
When she returns to the bar the second night, Hunter Fletcher is there, waiting for her. He’s a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em kind of guy; he doesn’t believe in long good-byes or commitments. However, there’s something about this woman.
Hunter is ideally suited for his work as a CIA operative; he has no attachments or friends, except the other members of his operative group. Hunter has dark secrets from his past – his dangerous job keeps him from having to deal with them.
What happens when the unthinkable occurs? The rest of the novel swirls around this question. Serena and Hunter are very likable and interesting. The action moves at a fast clip and it is difficult to set the book aside. I don’t think Loraine Heath is capable of writing a bad book!
Deep in the throes of loneliness, Serena visits a bar and meets a handsome stranger. After a night of torrid sex, Serena goes home to her son and father. Serena is not a one-night-stand kind of person; she feels guilty, but she also feels fascinated by the man she met.
When she returns to the bar the second night, Hunter Fletcher is there, waiting for her. He’s a love-‘em-and-leave-‘em kind of guy; he doesn’t believe in long good-byes or commitments. However, there’s something about this woman.
Hunter is ideally suited for his work as a CIA operative; he has no attachments or friends, except the other members of his operative group. Hunter has dark secrets from his past – his dangerous job keeps him from having to deal with them.
What happens when the unthinkable occurs? The rest of the novel swirls around this question. Serena and Hunter are very likable and interesting. The action moves at a fast clip and it is difficult to set the book aside. I don’t think Loraine Heath is capable of writing a bad book!
August 18, 2014
Une nouvelle fois, Lorraine Heath nous offre une histoire d’amour belle et tendre avec un héros particulièrement touchant comme elle sait remarquablement le faire.
L’histoire démarre par ce que l’on pourrait qualifier d’une aventure d’un soir. Hunter Fletcher, adepte des relations express avec les femmes, écume les bars où il est facile de trouver de belles jeunes femmes prêtes à lui accorder ce qu’il veut sans promesses ni attaches. Mais ce soir-là c’est sur Serena Hamilton qu’il va tomber, et il va sentir tout de suite qu’avec cette dernière les choses vont être différentes. Ému par l’abandon qu’elle va montrer dans ses bras, avec un regard plein de tristesse et de mélancolie, Hunter ne va pas réussir à se détacher d’elle aussi facilement qu’il l’avait prévu. Et les hasards de la vie vont lui prouver que parfois des pires évènements peuvent découler un bonheur sans bornes.
C’est le troisième livre de cet auteur que je lis, après Entre deux flammes et Le jour se lève, et bien que celui-ci soit moins « émotionnel » que les autres, l’histoire d’amour est toujours aussi touchante.
Le passé des héros est toujours jonché de malheurs et c’est toujours ce passé qui rend le personnage masculin aussi émouvant par ses actes et ses paroles. Hunter, bien qu’il soit membre d’une force spéciale pour la CIA, est d’une douceur et d’une tendresse incroyable. Malgré les sentiments qu’il tente de refouler il essaiera toujours de faire souffrir le moins possible Serena qui a déjà tant enduré par le passé. Il fait toujours passer le bien être des autres avant le sien, et c’est la grande force des héros de cet auteur, on a du coup très envie de les protéger à notre tour et de les cajoler.
C’est une lecture douce et pleine d’amour, avec toujours quelques points identiques aux autres livres de cet auteur : le passé douloureux, le mariage, les enfants, la tendresse et les séparations. Les héros sont toujours plus ou moins « contraints » de se rapprocher avant de réellement s’aimer, alors on découvre petit à petit l’amour naître entre eux et c’est vraiment touchant.
Pour les fans de cet auteur, et les autres, et si vous aimez les belles histoires d’amour n’hésitez plus !
L’histoire démarre par ce que l’on pourrait qualifier d’une aventure d’un soir. Hunter Fletcher, adepte des relations express avec les femmes, écume les bars où il est facile de trouver de belles jeunes femmes prêtes à lui accorder ce qu’il veut sans promesses ni attaches. Mais ce soir-là c’est sur Serena Hamilton qu’il va tomber, et il va sentir tout de suite qu’avec cette dernière les choses vont être différentes. Ému par l’abandon qu’elle va montrer dans ses bras, avec un regard plein de tristesse et de mélancolie, Hunter ne va pas réussir à se détacher d’elle aussi facilement qu’il l’avait prévu. Et les hasards de la vie vont lui prouver que parfois des pires évènements peuvent découler un bonheur sans bornes.
C’est le troisième livre de cet auteur que je lis, après Entre deux flammes et Le jour se lève, et bien que celui-ci soit moins « émotionnel » que les autres, l’histoire d’amour est toujours aussi touchante.
Le passé des héros est toujours jonché de malheurs et c’est toujours ce passé qui rend le personnage masculin aussi émouvant par ses actes et ses paroles. Hunter, bien qu’il soit membre d’une force spéciale pour la CIA, est d’une douceur et d’une tendresse incroyable. Malgré les sentiments qu’il tente de refouler il essaiera toujours de faire souffrir le moins possible Serena qui a déjà tant enduré par le passé. Il fait toujours passer le bien être des autres avant le sien, et c’est la grande force des héros de cet auteur, on a du coup très envie de les protéger à notre tour et de les cajoler.
C’est une lecture douce et pleine d’amour, avec toujours quelques points identiques aux autres livres de cet auteur : le passé douloureux, le mariage, les enfants, la tendresse et les séparations. Les héros sont toujours plus ou moins « contraints » de se rapprocher avant de réellement s’aimer, alors on découvre petit à petit l’amour naître entre eux et c’est vraiment touchant.
Pour les fans de cet auteur, et les autres, et si vous aimez les belles histoires d’amour n’hésitez plus !
June 11, 2011
This book was exactly what I was in the mood for. It was a good blend of sweet, romantic, and yummy hero. ;) I had a couple of minor issues with the plot
December 13, 2010
The second book in Lorraine Heath's Contemporary Duo series. Serena Hamilton and Hunter Fletcher meet at a honky-tonk and have a one night stand. Serena never expects to see Hunter again but does.
I've read a few of Lorraine Heath's historical romances and decided to check out this contemporary romance series. It was a pretty good read.
I've read a few of Lorraine Heath's historical romances and decided to check out this contemporary romance series. It was a pretty good read.
October 9, 2012
more 3.5 than 4 but I like this author!
Another good story too short. I find this author really good to face those themes, like, in this book, domestic violence and what it does to children. And then the importance of a good family. Only I would like to read something more about it.
Not bad, a short sweet story very promising.
Another good story too short. I find this author really good to face those themes, like, in this book, domestic violence and what it does to children. And then the importance of a good family. Only I would like to read something more about it.
Not bad, a short sweet story very promising.
February 27, 2015
Serena and Hunter. She's widowed and lonely and they have a one-night stand that turns into something else. He has secrets that he can't share with her so she can't trust him. She was a pill. I didn't like her at all, which really ruined my enjoyment of the book.
September 27, 2010
Loved it----fast easy read
September 27, 2011
Smooth, enjoyable read.
November 25, 2011
Yeah,another contemp by Heath and I love this book,please write more contemps
February 14, 2012
02/13/12
September 26, 2012
Really a nice story once I got into it. Hunter was a great character, Serena -- a little harder to like.
March 28, 2014
i really did not like this book, i typically like Lorraine Heath writing, but there was no depth to the characters.
April 2, 2009
One of my favorite romance novels. This one is all emotion.
June 19, 2009
I love all of her books. If you are looking for an easy read, romance then she is great for you.
June 26, 2012
Good story and characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews